I've had 5 of their top 10, only 3 are sold in my area which is why I dislike TOP 10 lists of regionally distributed, small-market beers.

That said, Odell's IPA is probably my favorite. Other good ones that deserve a mention are Anderson Valley Brewing's Hop Ottin' IPA, Green Flash IPA and Dark Horse's Crooked Tree IPA. Lagunitas IPA does not belong on the list and honestly neither do the Sierra Nevadas.

Donnchadha:IPAs are the crutch of microbreweries who haven't figured out how to properly scale up production.

Hops masks all of your other mistakes. If you manage to screw that up, add even more hops and call it a "double IPA".

Even after microbrewers get better and scale up, a lot of their IPAs remain top sellers. A lot of beers on that list come from brewers that have really respectable Lagers or other kinds of beer. You can't tell me Sierra Nevada makes their Torpedo IPA as a "crutch" because they don't know how to scale up.

Sudo_Make_Me_A_Sandwich:Donnchadha: IPAs are the crutch of microbreweries who haven't figured out how to properly scale up production.

Hops masks all of your other mistakes. If you manage to screw that up, add even more hops and call it a "double IPA".

Even after microbrewers get better and scale up, a lot of their IPAs remain top sellers. A lot of beers on that list come from brewers that have really respectable Lagers or other kinds of beer. You can't tell me Sierra Nevada makes their Torpedo IPA as a "crutch" because they don't know how to scale up.

At this point, it's because a bunch of beer hipsters have forgotten what beer should taste like and think that beer needs to taste like hops, so it continues to sell. However, a new brewery will push an IPA out early because it's the easiest not to screw up.

At this point, it's because a bunch of beer hipsters have forgotten what beer should taste like and think that beer needs to taste like hops, so it continues to sell. However, a new brewery will push an IPA out early because it's the easiest not to screw up.

IPAs are still pretty easy to screw up. I agree that being heavy-handed with the hops can mask some flaws in the malt bill, but consider all the terrible IPAs you've probably had. It's not as simple as just "add more hops."

Donnchadha:However, a new brewery will push an IPA out early because it's the easiest not to screw up.

No...They will push out an IPA because they will likely fail as a business without one in production. And an IPA is not the easiest beer to brew. Stouts, porters, pale ales, etc are all easier (and cheaper) to brew than an IPA which needs near-constant additions of hops from wort to brite tank, all while avoiding oxidation and infection. And there is a lot of shiat hops won't mask.

Donnchadha:Mitch Taylor's Bro: Donnchadha: IPAs are the crutch of microbreweries who haven't figured out how to properly scale up production.

Hops masks all of your other mistakes. If you manage to screw that up, add even more hops and call it a "double IPA".

[i1042.photobucket.com image 625x434]

Love me some hoppy IPA.

I never said I didn't like hoppy beers (as long as they aren't the "Hoppiest-Hop-That-Ever-Hopped-A-Hop" Sextuple IPA), I'm just pointing out why there are so many of them these days.

Scalability might be one reason, but don't you think it could also be a trend based on the fact that people like hoppy IPAs? I mean, there can be many reasons for a trend; for instance, porter's origin is rooted in cost-savings. That doesn't mean that some people didn't set out to make good porters just to be a leading example of the category.

Anyway, I personally don't care why they exist. I'm just glad they do :-)

Donnchadha:IPAs are the crutch of microbreweries who haven't figured out how to properly scale up production.

Hops masks all of your other mistakes. If you manage to screw that up, add even more hops and call it a "double IPA".

It's sad that such a dumb Weeners in what will be an awesome thread. It's fine if IPAs aren't your thing (depends on my mood for me), but touting such bullshiat has got to be indicative of a mental disorder.

Hoppy IPAs aren't just a trend -- it's a style of beer that's here to stay so long as there are plenty of hops available for production needs. Now that I've tasted a good portion of the beers on that list (which also happened to lead to home-brewing), I'll never go back to watered-down beer again. I'll take a strong 6.5 - 9.0 beer with a lot of hops over anything, any day (well, except for maybe a really good octoberfest or brown ale). Not sure why the haters gotta hate, but hey, that usually leaves more IPA for me.

blast yer scuppers:Good list but I'm shocked that Heavy Seas - Loose Cannon isn't on it. Firestone Union Jack is one of my go to beers when I can't decide what to get.

Most of these IPAs are ubiquitous and completely indistinguishable from the next. We just have to draw up arbitrary lines of quality, because that's how marketers have to trick you to consume when there's no real product scarcity.

APA. I'm not gonna dispute it with you because of a few motes of specific gravity, but for my own pallets I don't discriminate.

Some of the others are doubles and imperials too, but I don't see any snit to pick.

I didn't look as closely as I should have at the list. Yeah, Heady Topper being on there is a head scratcher...I mean if Heady is on the list, surely Sucks, Hopslam, and Abrasive should be in contention.

Glad to see Torpedo at 8, though list loses some cred with Lagunitas even on there (seriously, it's sub-par).

Living in the pacific northwest, I have access anytime to literally hundreds of different microbrews, which is awesome. Unfortunately I'm usually so caught up in all the local stuff I forget about brews from the rest of the country.